Overrated and Underrated Movies

Overrated: The Matrix. It was ok...but not as mindblowing as everyone made it out to be. (The story, not the sfx...THOSE were revoltionary.)

The Dark Knight. Just...no. Painful to watch.

Lightbeard wrote:and Titanic was popular because it attracted guys (a fucking ship crashing) and girls (romance)

You weren't around when Titatnic hit theaters, were you? It was basically girls from ages 9-16 (and probably older) competing for who could go see it most. I saw it once, just about every girl in my upper-elementary school class had seen it at least 7 or 8 times.

Dane, I agree that the Dark Knight was overrated, but I don't think it was painful to watch It was hyped up because it had been an anticipated movie to start with, then Heath Ledger died in relation to his role in the movie, and finally when it released it was actually a decent movie plus (completely ignoring the fact that he died) HL really did an amazing job with his role. Thinking back on it, I don't even remember what Batman/Bruce Wayne did aside from crashing his Lambo; all I remember is the Joker and Two-Face.

I remember going to see it as a date of the girl's choice in like 7th or 8th grade. All I got out of that $6.50 was a night out of the house and looking at a giant pair of British boobs. Pretty much 4 hours of my life wasted.

mew wrote:

Lightbeard wrote:and Titanic was popular because it attracted guys (a fucking ship crashing) and girls (romance)

You weren't around when Titatnic hit theaters, were you? It was basically girls from ages 9-16 (and probably older) competing for who could go see it most. I saw it once, just about every girl in my upper-elementary school class had seen it at least 7 or 8 times.

Dane, I agree that the Dark Knight was overrated, but I don't think it was painful to watch It was hyped up because it had been an anticipated movie to start with, then Heath Ledger died in relation to his role in the movie, and finally when it released it was actually a decent movie plus (completely ignoring the fact that he died) HL really did an amazing job with his role. Thinking back on it, I don't even remember what Batman/Bruce Wayne did aside from crashing his Lambo; all I remember is the Joker and Two-Face.

No i wasnt around but not hard to tell it attracted teenage girls

Dane wrote:Overrated: The Matrix. It was ok...but not as mindblowing as everyone made it out to be. (The story, not the sfx...THOSE were revoltionary.)

The Dark Knight. Just...no. Painful to watch.

I agree with Matrix Dark Knight not so much

I think Batman Begins was must more overrated

mew wrote:

Lightbeard wrote:and Titanic was popular because it attracted guys (a fucking ship crashing) and girls (romance)

You weren't around when Titatnic hit theaters, were you? It was basically girls from ages 9-16 (and probably older) competing for who could go see it most. I saw it once, just about every girl in my upper-elementary school class had seen it at least 7 or 8 times.

Dane, I agree that the Dark Knight was overrated, but I don't think it was painful to watch It was hyped up because it had been an anticipated movie to start with, then Heath Ledger died in relation to his role in the movie, and finally when it released it was actually a decent movie plus (completely ignoring the fact that he died) HL really did an amazing job with his role. Thinking back on it, I don't even remember what Batman/Bruce Wayne did aside from crashing his Lambo; all I remember is the Joker and Two-Face.

Meh, I thought Ledger's performance was mediocre, coming from an overall poor actor.

I haven't liked him in a role since 10 Things I Hate About You...and I didn't really like him there. Oh, and let's not forget A Knight's Tale.

I can see the director for TDK..."Ok, Heath...we're going to need you to use an American accent, hunch, and lick your lips." Ta da...add some grease paint, and you've got The Joker.

I do have to chime in on Titanic (which I have successfully avoided ever seeing.) I was a junior or senior in high school when it came out..and I remember the girls reactions. They used to write love notes to themselves from "Leo."

Having never saw it, I can't comment on it's merits, but I'm betting it got too much hype.

Titanic was OK, it was also about a rather interesting event in history and it touched on that a bit too. Yeah the story as a bit sappy, but overall the movie wasn't bad.

Ledger was a pretty decent actor, and frankly A Knight's Tale was done pretty well. It's nice when a movie knows its own place, and doesn't take itself too seriously. I really think he did a great job in Dark Knight, and there was quite a bit more depth to it than licking his lips.

Ledger was amazing as the Joker. I honestly can't see how anyone could have done it better.

Panzerdin wrote:Ledger was amazing as the Joker. I honestly can't see how anyone could have done it better.

I agree, he took it to another level. Then again he over dosed so that level might not be desirable.

See, it's all about opinion. I thought Ledger's Joker was excruciatingly one-dimensional and pathetically portrayed. I was pretty thrilled that we won't have to see a return of that character...although I think just about anyone could have carried off the same performance.

Jack's Joker was still one-dimensional, but at least he knows how to portray a nutcase.

How are any old comic book villains not one-dimensional?
I'm not really seeing what you mean unless your issue is that the character itself was one-dimensional? In which case I don't think his portrayal was flawed but rather the concept of comic book villains.

I would have to watch the movie again and look for that, but having worked closely with psychologists and thinking back on it, as far as a "nut case" goes the character was inaccurate. Most insane people to the degree of being locked up (which is what I assume was meant for the joker) are not that exciting but more just unpredictable and confusing. I think that Ledger did a good job at doing what he was supposed to do, make a crazy-seeming and scary character; that joker was predictable to a certain degree but unpredictable to the point of scary rather than insane.

mew wrote:How are any old comic book villains not one-dimensional?
I'm not really seeing what you mean unless your issue is that the character itself was one-dimensional? In which case I don't think his portrayal was flawed but rather the concept of comic book villains.

I would have to watch the movie again and look for that, but having worked closely with psychologists and thinking back on it, as far as a "nut case" goes the character was inaccurate. Most insane people to the degree of being locked up (which is what I assume was meant for the joker) are not that exciting but more just unpredictable and confusing. I think that Ledger did a good job at doing what he was supposed to do, make a crazy-seeming and scary character; that joker was predictable to a certain degree but unpredictable to the point of scary rather than insane.

I agree, to a point. Old comic characters (not just the villans, imo), are extremely one-dimensional. The Joker (along with many) have been more fleshed out in recent years, but that's beside the point.

I just thought that the movie overall was overrated (for many reasons already stated by myself and others...it got lots of hype with the death, etc), and I thought Ledger overall was a low point in a bad movie. I honestly can't sit through it. My wife redboxed it the other night, and wanted me to watch it with her, and I actually got my laptop to do dailies and farm after a certain point, I was so disinterested.

I AM forever grateful that they #1) Replaced Katie Holmes with Maggie Gyllenhall, and #2) Just killed the character off anyway.

Dane wrote:Overrated: The Matrix. It was ok...but not as mindblowing as everyone made it out to be. (The story, not the sfx...THOSE were revoltionary.)

I don't recall too many people talking about the story being that mindblowing, TBH. In fact, the first review i read about it before I had a chance to see mentioned Dark City, a similar story in a movie that came out not too long before.

Matrix = Dark City + Terminator + kung fu and updated special effects.

BTW, Dark City for underrated. Probably just stated my case : p

TonicTank wrote:looking at a giant pair of British boobs.

Someone say Samantha Fox??

Underrated - Boondock Saints
Overrated - Just about any teenage girl targeted movie..

"Teenage girls are overrated" Wha?? Sounds like a "Fox and the Grapes" story... =)

Underrated: Romeo+Juliet (the one with Leo and Clair) - In MANY cases the motion picture does worse or no better than a live stage as a medium for a play, this movie is one of the exceptions.

It followed the script very well (with a few glaring omissions that did not ruin the story IMO) and told the story in a way that I don't think anyone will be able to top using film as a medium. For me, I had never seen a 'weak' Romeo next to such a strong Juliet, and I feel this is how it was meant to be done.

Fight Club is awesome... I wrote a paper on it back in high school (I think, it was a while ago) discussing it's portrayal of someone with Dissociative Identity Disorder. The topics in the movie have become too... relevant... for it to appear as profound as it once was. Masculinity and survival/base instincts are no longer something lamented or questioned... they are simply assumed to be dead. Did you know that throughout the beginning (and I think other parts of the movie) there are instances of single frames where Pitt is standing in the scene with Norton? I discovered it while reviewing the movie for the paper, so I'm sure it's all over the internet these days.